Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn announces that 71-year-old Barbara Gannon of Grand Island has been sentenced by Erie County Court Judge Sheila A. DiTullio to 5 years of probation.

Between July 2011 and December 5, 2017, the defendant admitted that she stole $110,671 while employed as the recreation supervisor at the Golden Age Center, a senior center in the Town of Grand Island.

Last January, the town supervising accountant conducted an audit and uncovered the missing funds after invoices for Meals on Wheels and other expenses went unpaid. Town of Grand Island leaders contacted the Erie County District Attorney’s Office to investigate the matter. The defendant was no longer working at the senior center at the time of the investigation.

Gannon pleaded guilty, as charged, to one count of Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, a Class “C” felony, in February 2019. The defendant admitted that she used the stolen money to support her addiction to playing slot machines at a local casino.

Gannon is required to pay $200 per month in restitution. As part of her probation, she is not permitted to enter any casino or participate in any online gambling. She is also required to seek counseling for her addiction and must perform 140 hours of community service.

The case was investigated and prosecuted by Candace K. Vogel, Chief of the DA’s Special Investigations and Prosecutions (SIP) Bureau.